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Warriors of Mars
by Michael MoorcockBrilliant physicist and warrior Michael Kane's experiments in matter transmission catapult him across space and time to the verdant and war-torn Mars of the distant past. There he meets the beautiful Princess Shizala and learns the ways of her people, the Kamala, and of their war with the Argzoon. Swept up in their civil war, with Kane win the day, and the heart of the Princess? The creator of Elric of Melniboné, Michael Moorcock remains one of the most honored science fiction and fantasy authors of all time. Moorcock's Eternal Champion makes his debut in book one of the Warrior of Mars series.
The Winds of Limbo
by Michael MoorcockHe was a mysterious cosmic presence who came out of nowhere with the incredible promise to free the dying planet. Earth's future is one of peace. There are no more wars, nuclear weapons are outlawed, and technology is raising mankind to new heights. Many cities are now underground. Alain von Bek is a bastard of distinguished lineage working an unassuming job with city administration in the underground city of Switzerland. But with the appearance of a massive clownish figure calling himself the Fireclown, Alain's life and the course of Earth's future are both about to change. The Fireclown claims to hold the keys to mankind's salvation. He carries an undeniable charisma that is winning him followers, chief among them Helen Curtis, Alain's cousin and former lover, not to mention serious candidate in the next presidential election. But there are also those who mistrust the Fireclown. At the forefront of this opposition is Minister Simon von Bek, Alain's grandfather, and Helen's chief competition in the forthcoming election. Gradually, Alain finds himself sucked into a game of chess between these three polarizing forces, but each new revelation raises new questions, about his past and that of the world's future. He will have to put his trust in someone, and time is running out-for him and the world.
The Silence of Herondale (Murder Room Ser.)
by Joan AikenA child in danger, an isolated house - and a killer on the loose...'Joan Aiken's triumph with this genre is that she does it so much better than others' New York Times Book ReviewSnow-covered fields and moors stretch away on all sides of Herondale House. Despite rumours of an escaped killer on the run, Deborah Lindsay knows that she must control her terror - she has a young charge, 13-year-old prodigy Carreen, to care for.But the isolated Yorkshire farmhouse already holds the terrible secret of one death - and an increasing number of sinister 'accidents' lead Deborah to wonder how long it would be before evil strikes again ...'A splendidly romantic first thriller' Times Literary Supplement
Cordelia
by Winston GrahamFrom the author of Poldark, the bestselling book and hit television series.Brook Ferguson is compelled into marriage by his domineering father after being widowed in mysterious circumstances . . .His new bride Cordelia is beautiful and strong-willed - but after moving into the Ferguson family household, filled with eccentric family members, she starts to feel locked in a quiet war of dominance with Brook’s father. The stifling atmosphere, petty arguments and rising tensions push Cordelia to make the hardest decision of all, loyalty or love?Set against a backdrop of a Victorian Manchester manor house, Cordelia is a passionate Gothic romance from Winston Graham.
The Scarlet Boy
by Arthur Calder-Marshall'A variation on the theme of The Turn of the Screw in the manner of Graham Greene with an olive from The Cocktail Party and a dash of Dashiell Hammett.' Cyril ConnollyFirst published in 1961, The Scarlet Boy saw the versatile Arthur Calder-Marshall venturing into gothic terrain with a study in the paranormal. Historian George Grantley agrees to find a property for his school-friend Kit Everness, now a successful QC, in Grantley's home town of Wilchester. Grantley's eye falls on a place dear to him in childhood: Anglesey House, where his boyhood companion Charles Scarlet lived with his glamorous mother, Helen. But Charles committed suicide there, and some say the house is haunted. Grantley and Everness are undeterred; however, they will come to find their rational views tested, and the lives of their loved ones endangered.
Alan Garner Classic Collection (7 Books) - Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Moon of Gomrath, The Owl Service, Elidor, Red Shift, Lad of the Gad, A Bag of Moonshine)
by Alan GarnerA collection of seven timeless classics from one of the greatest fantasy writers of all time.
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath
by Alan GarnerTwo timeless classics from one of the greatest fantasy writers of all time.
The Edgar Allan Poe Collection
by Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe is regarded as one of the foremost American writers. The stories, poems and novels included here span the breadth of Edgar Allan Poe's unparalleled imagination.From the gothic horror of the classic short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" and his macabre poem "The Raven" to the enticing murder mystery, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", and other works such as The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, this fascinating collection showcases Poe's lyrical writing and masterful plotting.Mysterious, morbid and undeniably fascinating, the tales collected here are a perfect introduction to America's master of horror.A few of his masterpieces included in this collection are:BereniceThe RavenThe Tell-Tale HeartThe Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pymof NantucketThe Murders in the Rue MorgueMetzengersteinThe Masque of the Red DeathThe Fall of the House of Usher
H. P. Lovecraft: Tales of Terror
by H. P. LovecraftWhen H. P. Lovecraft died in March 1937, he left a legacy of work that has since influenced countless generations of writers and filmmakers and which has seen him hailed as a master of horror and fantasy fiction. With specially commissioned illustrations and an introduction by Dr Keira McKenzie, this collection showcases nine of his most popular stories, including Dagon, The Call of Cthulhu and The Dunwich Horror.
Horror Short Stories
by H. P. LovecraftGhouls, ghosts, and macabre terrors stalk the night in this spine-tingling collection. With tales describing unnatural frights and haunting visions of cosmic terror, you will be taken on a journey into the disturbing imaginations of some of horror's greatest writers. The stories' heroes face incredible creatures, unknowable gods, and supernatural beings who have no regard for human life.Horror literature has its roots in the mists of time. In the 19th century, writers delved into ancient folk tales and local legends to inspire an entire genre. In the 20th century, the next generation of writers brought to life a brand new array of terrifying monsters.The authors in this volume range from Victorian pioneers, such as Bram Stoker and Edgar Allan Poe, to the pulp writers of the 20th century, such as William Hope Hodgson and H. P. Lovecraft. The tradition of horror writing that developed took very different turns on either side of the Atlantic - while American authors turned to unknowable horrors and cosmic terrors, British writers such as E. F. Benson and M. R. James mastered a more familiar form, the classic ghost story.It was not only English-speakers who sought to terrify their readers. The French writer Guy de Maupassant, a prolific short story writer and pupil of the acclaimed novelist Gustave Flaubert, found ways to make his protagonists doubt their own sanity as they faced terrors that would drive any ordinary man mad.This collection of bone-chilling tales comes from the pens of some of horror's most acclaimed writers. Authors include:E. F. BensonAmbrose BierceFrancis Marion CrawfordW. W. JacobsM. R. JamesWilliam Hope HodgsonH. P. LovecraftGuy de MaupassantEdgar Allan PoeBram Stoker
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories (Arcturus Classics)
by Washington IrvingSet in 1790, 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' tells the tale of superstitious schoolmaster Ichabod Crane who seeks the hand of Katrina, but finds he has a rival for her affections in the form of Brom Bones Van Brunt who likes to play tricks on him. Turned down by Katrina, 'heavy-hearted and crestfallen' he rides through the autumn night where he encounters a headless horseman in a classic American ghost story that is often referenced today.It's a companion piece to 'Rip Van Winkle', which you'll also find here among many other great short stories from Washington Irving, who was a good friend of Charles Dickens and perhaps the first America author to earn a living from writing. Interestingly, Irving was the man who first popularized the name 'Gotham' for New York City and he also invented the flying sequence for Santa Claus's sleigh.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Classics series brings together high-quality paperback editions of classics works, presented with contemporary graphic cover designs. Together they make a wonderful collection which is perfect for any home library.
Supernatural Short Stories
by Bram Stoker Arthur Machen Charlotte Perkins Gilman Guy de Maupassant Ambrose Bierce Edward Frederic Benson Montague Rhodes James Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Francis Marion Crawford M. P. Shiel Clifford Ball William H. Kingston John William PolidoriLegends of vampires, werewolves, and unruly spirits have been a feature of European folklore for centuries. The authors whose work is collected together in this volume range from early Gothic writers to modern pulp enthusiasts.English writers like John William Polidori (1795-1821), the physician who wrote The Vampyre, and William H. G. Kingston (1814-1880), were pioneers of supernatural fiction, while others chose to master the ghost story. E. F. Benson was a part time archaeologist and M. R. James, a medieval historian at King's College, Cambridge. James would read his ghost stories aloud to his friends and students at Christmas-time. With good reason, he has been described as 'the best ghost-story writer England has ever produced.'Classic literary writers such as Ambrose Bierce and Guy de Maupassant found an outlet for their imagination in their terrifying tales, and later writers like Clifford Ball and M. P. Shiel established supernatural fiction in the pulp magazines of the early 20th century.Together, these stories demonstrate a stunning mastery of atmosphere and show an unmatched ability to terrify readers to this day.This collection features several of the leading purveyors of supernatural horror. Authors include:Clifford BallE. F. BensonAmbrose BierceFrancis Marion CrawfordCharlotte Perkins GilmanM. R. JamesWilliam H. G. KingstonArthur MachenGuy de MaupassantJohn William PolidoriM. P. ShielBram Stoker
Jizzle
by John WyndhamA collection of short stories from the master author of THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS and THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS.Giselle is a very talented monkey, although she goes by the name Jizzle. She can draw incredible portraits, as lifelike as can be. But Jizzle isn't just a camera. Jizzle has feelings. And Jizzle can take revenge, when she wants . . .This collection combines fantasy, science fiction, and horror to delight, astound and unsettle you.STORIES INCLUDED:"Jizzle""Technical Slip""A Present from Brunswick""Chinese Puzzle""Esmeralda""How Do I Do?""Una""Affair of the Heart""Confidence Trick""The Wheel""Look Natural, Please!""Perforce to Dream""Reservation Deferred""Heaven Scent""More Spinned Against"
The Haunter of the Dark and Other Tales (H. P. Lovecraft Omnibus #3)
by H. P. LovecraftA collection of some of the most famous stories from the master of tomb-dark fear…
Dark Carnival
by null Ray Bradbury'Let us now praise Ray Bradbury' THE TIMES Bradbury's first story collection is a must-read for any fan of the genre, spinning stardust and cobwebs in its wondrous wake. It contains twenty-seven stories, from science fiction’s master storyteller.
Nightmare Alley: The rediscovered American noir classic, soon to be a major motion picture
by William Lindsay GreshamA cool, cruel, rediscovered classic of American noir, soon to be a major motion picture directed by Guillermo del Toro.'Read and shudder. And relish' Guardian'A creepy, all-too-harrowing masterpiece' Washington PostStanton Carlisle, employed as a carny at a travelling circus watches their freak-show geek - an abject alcoholic, the object of the voyeuristic crowd's gleeful disgust and derision - and wonders how a man could fall so low. There's no way in hell, he vows, that anything like that will ever happen to him.Unlike the tragic figure he sees before him, Stan is young, clever and ambitious and quick to learn from the other carnival acts. Initially teaming up with a beautiful but vulnerable woman as part of a double act in which he mesmerises her, Stan soon leaves his circus days behind him, becoming a successful spiritualist who exploits the weak and the wealthy.But even the very best con men can meet their match....With a new introduction from James Smythe, Nightmare Alley is a forgotten classic of Depression-era America; a brilliant, horrifying, compulsive journey into the true darkness of the human mind.
The Red Right Hand
by Joel Townsley RogersA deranged killer sends a doctor on a quest for the truth - deep into the recesses of his own mind.'Deserves its reputation as one of the greatest mysteries of all time' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred reviewWhat really happened to Inis St. Erme? What was his fatal mistake? Was it when he and his bride-to-be first set out to elope in Vermont? Or did his deadly error occur later, when they picked up a terrifying hitch-hiker, or when the three stopped at 'Dead Bridegroom's Pond' for a picnic? Dr Riddle is determined to find out, but he soon uncovers a series of bizarre coincidences that leave him questioning his sanity and his innocence. After all, he too walked those wild, deserted roads the night of the murder, stranded and struggling to get home to New York City. The more he reflects, the more his own memories become increasingly uncertain, as he veers into the irrational territory of pure terror...
Death from a Top Hat
by Clayton RawsonA magician turned detective is caught up in the most baffling locked-room murder mystery...'One of the all-time greatest impossible murder mysteries' Publishers Weekly starred review'Dazzling' Saturday Review'A cornerstone of detective fiction' New York TimesMaster magician The Great Merlini has hung up his top hat and white gloves, and now spends his days running a magic shop in New York and his nights moonlighting as a consultant for the NYPD. When the crimes seem impossible, it is his magician's mind they need. So when two occultists are discovered dead in locked rooms, one spread out on a pentagram, both appearing to have been murdered under similar circumstances, Merlini is immediately called in. The list of suspects includes an escape artist, a professional medium, and a ventriloquist - and it is only too clear that this is a world Merlini knows rather too well...
The Hound of Death
by Agatha ChristieA collection of macabre mysteries, including the superlative short story Witness for the Prosecution…
Appius and Virginia
by G.E. TrevelyanA REDISCOVERED WORK BY ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING NOVELISTS OF THE 1930S‘One of the most important novelists of our day’ TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT (1938)Virginia Hutton embarks upon an experiment. She will take an ape and raise it as a human child.She purchases an infant orangutan and names him Appius. She clothes him, feeds him, and puts him to bed in a cot every night. As Appius grows older, she teaches him to dress himself, to speak, to read, to stand and walk up straight, to eat his meals at the dining table with a knife and fork. She teaches him how to be human.The young orangutan is not always a willing student. His relationship with Virginia becomes fraught and flits between that of mother and child, teacher and student, scientist and experiment. But as Appius gains knowledge he moves ever closer to the one discovery Virginia does not want him to make: that of his true origins.Appius and Virginia explores the ongoing conflict between nature and nurture. It is also a chilling and unforgettable portrait of loneliness.G.E. Trevelyan wrote eight groundbreaking novels between 1932 and 1941 but her writing career was tragically cut short when her flat was hit by a German bomb during the Blitz. She died shortly afterwards and her books have subsequently been largely forgotten. This publication, the first reissue of any of her books since her death, seeks to restore the author to her rightful place in British literature.
The Red Lamp
by Mary Roberts RinehartA haunted seaside mansion - a series of suspicious deaths...Perfect gothic crime fiction for fans of Shirley Jackson 'Showcases her extraordinary gift for sustaining high levels of tension ... reminiscent of Shirley Jackson ... and she excels at the tantalising tease' Publishers Weekly William Porter has just inherited a seaside manor. As an academic, he doesn't believe the rumours that it is haunted - nor is he suspicious of the circumstances behind the inheritance - after all, lots of people die suddenly from heart attacks, and his uncle Horace was just unlucky. His wife, however, refuses to live in the main house and will only move into the lodge elsewhere on the grounds. And she may be right: soon after they arrive, Porter sees a shadowy figure illuminated by the red glow of Horace's writing lamp, the very light that shone on the scene of his death. Even Porter's scepticism is tested to the limit when a rash of murders occurs across the countryside. And if Porter isn't very careful, he risks implicating himself in the crimes he hopes to solve.
The Butterfly Picnic
by Joan Aiken'For sheer enjoyability this tops almost anything' The TimesIntelligent and spirited Georgia March flies to the beautiful Greek island of Dendros to meet her cousin Sweden, but upon arrival finds her cousin Sweden’s body lying in a pool blood . . .Georgia has come to the paradise island of Dendros in search of a new life, a new job, and a way to forget about her lost lover. Instead, her adventure begins with tragedy and takes her to a mountain-top fortress – home to a powerful multi-millionaire, his jet set friends and a school for unusual children. In this stunning Greek hideaway Georgia is hired as a teacher, but as she gets to know the children and their unconventional parents she becomes ensnared in a deadly international mystery. Our not-so hapless heroine must survive a series of bizarre brushes with death, but also deal with the attentions of a strangely charming man – is he really the wickedest man on the island? Somebody certainly wants her gone as she inches closer and closer to uncovering the truth about Sweden’s death . . . Joan Aiken reveals a strong heroine, a breathtaking backdrop and shocking plot twists – The Butterfly Picnic has all the elements of a holiday romance with a dark underside of suspense.
Castle Barebane
by Joan Aiken'Joan Aiken writes superbly, with a force, a colour and strength of imagination that one encounters all too rarely today. I loved every moment of it.' London Daily TelegraphStrong and independent Vahalla Montgomery, a heroine straight out of a Henry James novel, abandons her New York career as a journalist to search for her half-brother in Joan Aiken’s gothic novel, Castle Barebane.Wishing to escape from her pretentious New York fiancé, Valla is happy to have an excuse to travel to England, only to discover that her half-brother and his wife have disappeared from their London home – leaving their young two children all alone. Finding Victorian London a gloomy and sinister place, haunted by a series of Ripper style murders, Valla takes the children up to Scotland to a bleak family property known as Castle Barebane. In this Gothic ruin, perched on the edge of a cliff, the mystery surrounding her missing brother only gets darker, and more terrifying . . . This unforgettable tale of love, loss, and human nature is brought to life by Joan Aiken’s vivid story-telling and gripping plot. If you love Virginia Andrews or Nicola Cornick, Joan Aiken should certainly be your next read.
The Embroidered Sunset
by Joan Aiken'Miss Aiken’s book is immensely enjoyable – her gift for gothic romantic charm is as effectively deployed as ever' TLSLucy Culpepper doesn’t take no for an answer. An aspiring pianist she dreams of being taught by the renowned Max Benovek and will defy all odds – life threatening illness, a missing great aunt, and a disgruntled uncle – to achieve it.After finding out her Uncle Wilbie has used up her college fund, Lucy discovers a selection of enchantingly beautiful paintings in the attic. Being the miserly man he is, Wilbie wants to keep any possible profits for these paintings and bargains on sending Lucy to England to find the artist – Great-aunt Fennel. Knowing Benovek lives in London she snaps up the opportunity and undertakes the adventure of a lifetime. But though Benovek proves easy to find and immediately takes Lucy to heart, she sets off to Yorkshire only to find that her old aunt Fennel has vanished. Lucy’s search entangles her in a mystery of murder and deceit . . . can they discover who is the real aunt Fennel?Awardwinning author Joan Aiken brings a shocking finale to a witty and entertaining plot full of unexpected twists and turns in modern suspense novel, The Embroidered Sunset.
Hercule Poirot 3-Book Collection 1: Two Bestselling Mysteries
by Agatha ChristieThe first three Hercule Poirot books see the former Belgian policeman tempted out of retirement to solve a series of outlandish murders in Britain and France, assisted by the redoubtable Captain Hastings, setting him on the path to becoming the World's Greatest Detective!